"He's dead, General!"
The lieutenant general was silent for a moment and nodded slowly.
He pulled a folded piece of paper from his jacket pocket, unfolded it, and cleared his throat.
"Now convey General Rybnikov's orders."
"The Fifth Guards Army will defend the area and not retreat a single step until new orders arrive."
"Yes, sir!"
The two division commanders saluted together.
The lieutenant general passed the note to the two men and circulated it. After they finished reading it, he asked, "Do you feel wronged or unfair?"
The two commanders looked solemn and said nothing.
The lieutenant general nodded, walked up to the commander of the 19th Division, raised his hand, and carefully cleaned the dust and bloodstains on his collar.
Then he walked up to the commander of the 22nd Division and patted him on the shoulder.
After doing this, he took two steps back and solemnly returned a standard military salute.
"Go back to your respective units. Remember, don't retreat a single step!"
The lieutenant general's voice was calm but powerful.
Seeing the two turn around, he added, "I will also stay here, with the Fifth Army."
The two division commanders paused for a moment, but did not stop.
After they boarded the helicopter and left, the chief of staff who had accompanied the lieutenant general spoke with concern.
"It's too dangerous here, I think..."
The lieutenant general raised his hand to stop the old man's persuasion.
He pulled a cigar from his uniform pocket and tried to light it, but found he had no tools.
In the end, he just sniffed it and stuffed it back.
"I don't want to leave anymore. If you want to leave, leave now."
The Chief of Staff sighed, smiled bitterly and shook his head, "If you don't leave, I won't leave either."
The lieutenant general smiled and said, "Let the soldiers get ready!"
The chief of staff nodded and quickly left to arrange the defense.
The lieutenant general did not go to the command post, but walked like an ordinary soldier on the bumpy and dark ground, one step deep and one step shallow.
Suddenly, he saw a "Chess-M" that had just climbed a small slope, with its four legs retracted and its fixed stakes on the ground, assuming a fire support posture.
He thought about it, walked over, and climbed onto the top of the mecha with the help of several soldiers.
Standing on this commanding height, the lieutenant general raised his telescope and first observed the left wing that had lost contact.
There was smoke and dust billowing in that direction, but the sounds of explosions and gunfire were sporadic. It was unclear whether they had collapsed or managed to escape.
Then he turned to the right wing, where he could still hear dense gunfire and artillery fire, obviously they were still in a state of exchange of fire.
As for the front...
Although it was quiet at this time, the lieutenant general knew that the vanguard of the abyss monster might arrive in the next second.
He silently calculated the troops at his disposal: three seriously understaffed independent brigades and a military headquarters guard battalion, about four to five thousand people.
Relying on their original starting position, how long can they hold out here?
Will Dragon Tooth Castle in the rear have enough time to reorganize its defenses?
Perhaps this is his last defense...
Suddenly, the cabin cover on top of the "Chess-M" opened, and a bearded lieutenant poked his head out.
"General, if a battle breaks out, this place won't be safe."
"You'd better return to the command post as soon as possible." He suggested sincerely.
The lieutenant general smiled and said softly, "Nowhere is safe now."
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